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Poll for Topping PA5 owners only please.
- Thread starter Eggs Ackley
- Start date
restorer-john
Grand Contributor
You have to be a member to vote. Even if people signed up just to vote, that's a pretty powerful message isn't it?
There's nobody I know interested in HiFi, who would touch Topping with a 10ft bargepole and it's disasters like this, that reinforce that mindset as eminently sensible.
Topping is overpriced, throwaway garbage. There are no schematics, no service manuals, no spare parts, no backup or local service and zero signs of the company changing in order to fulfil the requirements of suppliers in this country or likely any others they sell into. They ghost their customers and make life all but impossible to repair their gear. This PA5 fiasco should be a big red light warning to everyone that Topping just don't care and you should spend your money with someone, anyone, else.
There's nobody I know interested in HiFi, who would touch Topping with a 10ft bargepole and it's disasters like this, that reinforce that mindset as eminently sensible.
Topping is overpriced, throwaway garbage. There are no schematics, no service manuals, no spare parts, no backup or local service and zero signs of the company changing in order to fulfil the requirements of suppliers in this country or likely any others they sell into. They ghost their customers and make life all but impossible to repair their gear. This PA5 fiasco should be a big red light warning to everyone that Topping just don't care and you should spend your money with someone, anyone, else.
The admin seems not be interested to do so. To me, he is not an independent person.
Sadly, i am forced to agree. I might buy topping but if i do itll be in the sub £200 ”play the odds” category.
restorer-john
Grand Contributor
A pig in a poke can sometimes be a bit of fun.
For our younger members who may not understand the saying:
(from literarydevices.net)
Meaning of “A Pig in a Poke”
The phrase ‘a pig in a poke’ is an English proverb. It means to buy something or accept a deal without examining or knowing about it. This expression is used to caution people before they purchase and receive something without thoroughly assessing or inspecting it. In this idiom, the noun “poke” is an old English word which denotes a bag, sack, or pouch. This phrase was introduced in the Middle Ages when meat was scarce. The traders would deliberately sell less valued meat of cats or dogs to cheat the customers. It has also been a guiding principle of commerce in many countries. In this context, it summarises the wise advice, let the buyers beware before purchasing goods because without a prior sight that thing may not turn as valuable as one expects.
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Covering your eyes and ears and screaming at the top of your lungs
"it's not evidence, it's just anecdotal, it doesn't matter blah blah blah" won't save buyers from failing their unit.
Surely the defective units at the moment are not 48%, because it is clear that anyone who has a problem and searches on the internet is directed to this discussion and perhaps signs up to report the problem, while those who have a still functional unit have no reason.
However, it must be considered that it is certainly not the only product to have had a strong recommendation but it is the only one to have created this wave of problems such as to justify a discussion that continues to grow.
Also, the constant addition of new users who report the problem after some variable period, indicates that there are probably a significant number of units out there with the timer close to death.
Underestimating this testimony, albeit anecdotal, is an indication of blind unconditional trust, and really doesn't make much sense.
I wonder if those who say that there is no proof and that a warning should not be placed on the review would want to bet 350 euros on trust.
"it's not evidence, it's just anecdotal, it doesn't matter blah blah blah" won't save buyers from failing their unit.
Surely the defective units at the moment are not 48%, because it is clear that anyone who has a problem and searches on the internet is directed to this discussion and perhaps signs up to report the problem, while those who have a still functional unit have no reason.
However, it must be considered that it is certainly not the only product to have had a strong recommendation but it is the only one to have created this wave of problems such as to justify a discussion that continues to grow.
Also, the constant addition of new users who report the problem after some variable period, indicates that there are probably a significant number of units out there with the timer close to death.
Underestimating this testimony, albeit anecdotal, is an indication of blind unconditional trust, and really doesn't make much sense.
I wonder if those who say that there is no proof and that a warning should not be placed on the review would want to bet 350 euros on trust.
Its all a bit redundant now anyway. Its been discontinued.
edit : this tendency of some to describe anothers argument as “screaming” is annoying, Petty and nearly always wrong. Its aslo an ad hominem.
people should stop.
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I agree, and this too should make you think, topping has sold a lot of pa5 units, but stopped production after a relatively short time. Products like the pa3 have been on sale for years, and only replaced by the pa3s which are still regularly in production. It seems strange that you stop producing a product that has had this sales success without replacing it with anything.
The whole story seems very non-transparent
Exactly - Amir didn't give me the impression he was screaming. It seems pretty clear that reviewing a product (that makes it to the end of the test!) and stating the measurements is an entirely different thing to having an official policy of adding warnings to the review based on a two digit number of claims of failure in the following months. Even if the claims are legitimate (how would one tell?) it's still anecdata. What's the sample size; was it a bad batch etc.
That said, I'm not shilling for Topping - the complaints have been posted here and are available for prospective purchasers, and personally I would have to think twice about buying (specifically) an amp from them. They seem to have gone a bit quiet - I wonder if @amirm has received communication from them (in response to his comment about bringing up concerns about support) he's currently unable to share, or about quality generally. Perhaps Topping don't think there's any reason to reply or put out a statement about these perceived quality issues. I think they're wrong.
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Excuse me, personally I also find quite unpleasant those who minimize at any cost and trivialize the problem by hiding behind the "there is no proof".
Topping disappeared from the discussion, even when questioned several times and even when at the same time she responded to the enthusiastic praise of their new LA90, and just as silently she dismissed the product without saying absolutely anything to deny or confirm the problem.
Meanwhile many testimonials on the site paint a situation where with great difficulty someone managed to get a refund for their faulty unit, and others had unpleasant experiences depending on the seller (this is not topping's fault, at least not directly).
Telling all these people that these testimonials are worthless and that it's perfectly fine to silence an obviously flawed design of the PA5 model is just as bad taste, compared to what I was covertly reproached in your post, in my humble opinion .
Topping have behaved atrociously on the support of this product. As a result I've changed from someone eagerly anticipating an amp that meets my requirements - to being a "never topping" (or at least a never topping for more than about £200).
However the data we have here is insufficient for Amir to make any formal statment about it. We have literally NO idea about what the real world field failure rate of this product is based on 200 roughly 50:50 votes, and that from a self selecting population with no validation of disgruntled people potentially voting more than once. At the worst he could make himself liable for legal action if claiming the product has a problem based on that.
If you google "topping pa5 fault" (as many with a failure might) this thread is the second link. Imagine how many who make that search might then register to vote. On that basis the aprox 100 votes with failure could represent a disproportionate number of the global failures.
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Speaking as someone who has been involved in setting up a production line in China - and who has visited a number of other factories - that is a gross generalisation.
I ordered the Aiyama A-07 and the Topping, and expected to return the A-07.
So I was surprised when the Topping was hissing like the snake scene with Harrison Ford, and I returned it and kept the A-07.
I am not sure how anyone who has read the threads to the end could consider the Topping unless they believe that SINAD is more important that a unit actually working.
JeremyFife
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Depends on what you are looking for ... why do you want to replace your Aiyima? More power (why?), More features (what?).
Plenty of good amps out there, and the Aiyima is one of them. If it's just 'upgradeitis' then resist
Would you say the A07 is a good implementation of the tpa3255, in sound quality and long term reliability. Is there any information concerning comparisons with rivals such as 3e audio nobsound brzhifi or anyone else.
I'm torn with indecision if i should mod up the A07 with a better psu, output inductors, op-amps, or should i shop around for a " better " unit
Because i keep hearing that these cheap little amps aren't going to last that long, so all the time and effort put in with mods may be wasted.
What should i do.
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JeremyFife
Addicted to Fun and Learning
It's reviewed here, measures well. Leave it alone: listen to music and save up for a replacement. If it doesn't fail then you'll have savings for something else
. Seriously, just enjoy the music and don't overthink it. It's GBP £90 on Amazon now - if it lasts for 6 months that's £15 per month and after that the cost of ownership just keeps going down! Plenty of people here have these and seem satisfied.
Frank Sol
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2021
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What @JeremyFife Said...
It was either the Topping or the Aiyama and I kept the A-07. There may be others, but I did not look hard enough.
I just shoved one up front as a center channel amp, and shoved the other behind the sofa as a surround channel amp.
It did not mod anything except some DIY XLR to RCA cables from the HT preamp.
For the 2 channel part of the 5.1.x, the A-07 did work better than I would have thought… but I have a tube amp for that, so I did not run the A-07 there for long.
IMO either mod it because you like doing that sort stuff, or just shove it in and use it.
I do not think that OP-amps are going to make it stunning, but people that expect it too, find it happens to be so.
I know it won’t so it makes no sense for me to try, and I know a fancy amp will make it great, so I run the 2 channel off of one of those.
DanielT
Major Contributor
As far as I know, correct me if I'm wrong, Topping hasn't fixed the error with PA5 yet. DESPITE that AUDIOPHONICS still sells PA5.
AUDIOPHONICS normally, otherwise seems like a good company and they certainly must know the problems with the PA5 (or?), so why do they keep selling PA5?
www.audiophonics.fr
AUDIOPHONICS normally, otherwise seems like a good company and they certainly must know the problems with the PA5 (or?), so why do they keep selling PA5?
TOPPING PA5 Balanced Class D Amplifier 2x125W 4 Ohm Silver - Audiophonics
Topping offers with the PA5 a compact yet powerful and high performance balanced amplifier. It integrates a new generation of optimized Class D amplifier circuit capable of delivering a power of 2x125W under 4Ω, with a high efficiency.
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